Parking: Parking is available at Karta Parking at 1 Kariv St. and Mamilla Parking at 17 Kariv St. Further away is Safra Parking at 7 Shivtei Yisrael St.﻿

﻿Public transport: The light rail stops at City Hall (the Iriya), which is only a few minute's walk to Kikar Tzahal.﻿

BACKGROUND

THE BRITISH MANDATE - FROM BALFOUR TO BEVIN

400 years of Ottoman rule over Palestine came to an end during World War I when the British-led Egyptian Expeditionary Force under the command of General Edmund Allenby captured Beersheba in October 1917. The Turks were allied with the Germans.

Beersheba was attacked by the British after they had failed to capture Gaza, The Turks were not expecting this, as the British had planted information that they would attack Gaza again. Nevertheless, for the British it was a desperate bid. Many of the soldiers were on horseback and if the city with its water supply had not been captured, all the animals would have died. Initially, the British failed to make any progress against the 2,000 Turkish defendants. Allenby then decided on another desperate ploy. Facing artillery and machine gun fire﻿, mounted Australian cavalry charged the defendants with open bayonets,﻿ and with hand to hand fighting they successfully overran the city, suffering surprisingly few casualties. This would be the last cavalry charge in military history. The route to Jerusalem was now open. The Turks retreated and Jerusalem was captured six weeks later without a shot being fired. Within a year, Turkey capitulated with the defeat of Turkish forces in the Battle of Megiddo.

This unlikely victory at the Battle of Beersheba would have profound implications for the course of Jewish history.﻿ In the weeks between the capture of Beersheba and Jerusalem, the British foreign secretary, Arthur James Balfour, issued to the British Jewish leader Lord Rothschild a letter containing the "Balfour Declaration" in which the British government promised its support to the establishment of a Jewish state.It read as follows: “His Majesty’s Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”

Why did the British offer their support to the Jewish people, and what were its implications for the people of Palestine?

There were probably good geo-political reasons for this British offer. The Germans were also reaching out at this time to the Zionists who had remained neutral in this war. The British appreciated the war-time help of the Zionist leader Chaim Weitzman for his invention of a reliable fuse for their shells, and he made a presentation to the British government requesting their help in establishing a Jewish homeland. The religious sentiments in the echelons of British power also encouraged them to issue this unusual document. Many British Christians believed that the Jews should establish a state in Palestine to enable the Christian Messianic era to arrive. The Balfour Declaration also provided a moral reason for this Christian nation to take over the Holy Land from the Moslems.

It is helpful to divide the implications of this declaration into its short-term and long-term implications. Over the short term, the British were serious about forming a Jewish homeland. Thus it was that the Balfour Declaration became the basis of the Mandate awarded by the League of Nations to Britain 4½﻿ years later.

The Jewish people keenly felt the significance of this declaration and the fact that a major power had declared its support for a Jewish state after 2,000 years of exile. Many Jews viewed the declaration almost in Messianic terms. Also, for the first time, the Zionist movement had received legitimacy from a major power and it would soon achieve legitimacy from the League of Nations.

The Arabs, on the other hand, were never able to come to an accommodation with the Balfour Declaration - and this remains the case to this day. Jewish and Arab nationalism were on a collision course, and as Jewish immigration increased, Palestinian leaders, such as Haj Amin el-Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem, became more and more vocal in their opposition to the formation of a Jewish State. In 1920, 1929 and 1936 he inspired or was directly responsible for major Arab rioting. ﻿﻿

In terms of the long-term implications of the Balfour Declaration, the British eventually reneged on their commitment. Even shortly after it was issued, there were those in the British military who sought to undermine it. By the 1930’s, immigration had become critical for the Jews with the rise of the German Nazi party and Nazi persecution. However, the Middle East had again become an important arena for the Allies and they were doing their upmost to prevent the Arabs from joining the Axis powers. Thus it was that when increased immigration was most needed by the Jewish people, the keys were locked. The British government issued the White Paper of 1939 effectively reversing the Balfour Declaration and severely restricted Jewish immigration to Palestine. This policy was maintained even after the Second World War. The British foreign secretary Ernest Bevin had no love for the Jewish people and he brought Jewish immigration almost to a halt.

With Jewish immigration to the country now a critical issue to the Jews, Jewish underground movements began hounding the British - the Irgun led by Menachem Begin and Lechi run by Yitzchak Shamir – their intent being to drive the British out of Palestine. The British were in a no-win situation. The situation on the ground had become more violent and chaotic, and the British were unable to control the low-grade guerilla warfare between Jews and Arabs.

The British eventually washed their hands of the situation. With Indian independence, the importance of Palestine to the British as a route to India had much diminished. They left the country in 1947, and left Jews and Arabs to fight over the United Nations Partition Plan. Nevertheless, they provided significant help to the Arabs on the way out. In particular, they maintained an arms embargo on the Jews until Israel's independence and they gave military support to King Abdulla of Trans-Jordan in the expectation that they would be able to retain some influence in the Middle East when the Jews had been defeated. ﻿

Ironically, it is the Palestinians who still attach the most significance to the Balfour Declaration. They regard this declaration to be an act of colonialism in which the British attempted to get rid of their own Jews at Arab expense. Most historians would argue with this conclusion. At least initially, the British genuinely attempted to fulfill the provisions of the Mandate, both for the Jews and for other Arab nations, thereby fulfilling the vision of the American president Woodrow Wilson of self-determination for former colonies. Moreover, partition plans under discussion would have provided self-determination for both Jews and Palestinians.

The Palestinians also claim that when the Balfour Declaration was issued there was already an Arab nation in this land with long-standing roots. Most historians would agree that the Arabs did constitute a majority at the beginning of the Mandate, although the extent to which they constituted a "nation" at that time is very questionable. Many of the Arabs were, like the Jews, immigrants to the country and were following employment opportunities opened up by Jewish enterprises. Jewish roots in this country are, of course, well documented in the BIble and in archeological findings throughout the country and extend much further back than the Islamic period.

In the final analysis, even without the Balfour Declaration, it is unlikely that the end result for the Arabs would have been much different. The British would still have had to devise a partition plan to divide up Palestine, the Arabs would still have rejected it, and the two sides would still have fought for possession of the land.

Despite their ignoble exit, Jerusalem owes a lot to the British. Prior to the British, the city had been a backwater under corrupt Turkish rule. The British made Jerusalem their administrative capital and organized its judiciary, taxation, healthcare and education. As a result, the city thrived. During the 30 years of the Mandate, the population of Jerusalem trebled from 53,000 to 165,000 people.

The British also indelibly enhanced the beauty of Jerusalem. District Governor Sir Ronald Storrs legislated that all buildings in Jerusalem be made or covered with stone - a ruling in effect to this day.

The walk:

The first stop on this walk is the old City Hall building on Kikar Tzahal, on the left side of Jaffa Road as one faces the Old City.

The construction of this building between 1930 to 1932 was a joint project of the Jerusalem Municipality and Barclay’s Bank and the bank had a branch office on the ground floor.After the War of Independence, this building found itself by the ceasefire line between Israel and Jordan. Despite its hazardous location, then mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek, was convinced that the city would eventually be reunited and he insisted that the building continue to function as the city’s town hall.﻿ Jerusalem was indeed reunited during the Six Day War. The building is still used for city administrative purposes, although Jerusalem’s main city hall (the Iriya) is﻿ a short distance away along Jaffa Road. ﻿﻿ ﻿

Notice the shell marks on the outside walls of the building from the War of Independence. Also, walk to the back of the building along Jaffa St﻿. and you will see photos of the building’s history. From these photographs you can appreciate the devastation suffered by this area and close-by Mamilla during the 1948 War of Independence and this building’s proximity to the border with Jordan.

Walk along the continuation of Jaffa St. to the plaza by the Old City's Jaffa Gate. (If you want to avoid steps, walk along the right side of Jaffa St. and within the metal railings). There are often quality street musicians playing in the plaza. From the plaza, take the steps on the right down to Mamilla Mall. (There is also a ramp on the extreme right marked for strollers and wheelchairs).

Mamilla Mall is a high-end mall with a variety of stores and popular restaurants. In the summer especially it is very pleasant to walk here because of the partial shade and air conditioning escaping from the stores.

During the Mandate, Mamilla was a shopping area. However,during the War of Independence, it was badly damaged by Arab rioters who looted and set part of it on fire. Since this area was now adjacent to the Jordanian border, it was not rebuilt. New immigrants moved here, and lived in poor conditions and at some risk from Jordanian sniper fire. After the Six Day War and the reunification of Jerusalem, it was rebuilt and is now a very popular mall for shopping and restaurants. ﻿Some of the stores maintain their original interior stone walls, as for example building #18. This building incidentally has 2 stories of shops and a WC.

The name Mamilla may well come from the Arabic “ma’e meen Allah”, which means “water from God” and refers to the reservoir (now empty) on the opposite side of King David St. This reservoir was built during the Second Temple Period and stored water from Solomon’s Pools, over 20 kilometers south of the city. Another conduit brought water directly into the Old City. In front of the reservoir is a Mamluke cemetery.﻿

If you would like a 30-minute break, the second building on your right, which is multi-storied, contains the “I am Jerusalem presentation” - a high tech journey in a time capsule. Enter the door with the word FOX above it and turn to the right inside. Tickets are available on-line or at the box office.[1]

After exiting the mall, cross first Queen Shlomzion St. and then Gershon Agron St. You may want to check out the Eden Gallery in the Astoria Residence building on King David St. It contains paintings by the well-known Israeli painter Yoel Benbarrouche, who also exhibits his pictures in prestigious galleries outside the country. Then turn onto Agron St. The second building on this street is the Waldoff Astoria Hotel.

Neither of these buildings were built by the Waldorf Astoria chain and their acquisition is fairly recent.The hotel has an interesting history.﻿ The building was once called The Palace and was built during the British Mandate by the Supreme Muslim Council under the leadership of the mufti of Jerusalem, haj Amin al-Husseini. The King David Hotel was owned by Jews and the Arabs felt that they also needed to have a first-class hotel in Jerusalem.﻿ The contractor for the construction work was Jewish, although his workers were Arab. Nevertheless, he still managed to hide two Jewish arms caches with the hotel!The outside of the building is in an ornate medieval Spanish style.The groundfloor of the hotel is particularly impressive.Note the soft stone walls and large skylight.

Exit the lobby and continue left along Agron St. Just past the hotel turn left onto HaMa’aravim St. You are now in Mahane Yisrael. This is the second residential area built outside the Old City. It has no particular relevance to the British Mandate, but is a beautiful site to visit on the way to the next stop. At the end of this short road and just before the alley, turn left just after the Steinsaltz Institute (which is no longer used as his center) and you will find yourself in an impressive and exquisitely tiled courtyard with a tiled fountain.

Mahane Israel was built in 1868 and was the second quarter built outside the Old City walls. It was built by Moroccan Jews from North Africa who felt they were not getting a fair share of Sephardi communal funds. Under the leadership of the dynamic Rabbi David ben Shimon,﻿ they decided to go it alone and build their own neighborhood. This was the first neighborhood built outside the city walls by the inhabitants themselves﻿. The eventual success of Mishkenot Sha’ananim made people realize that this type of project could be accomplished and that living outside the city walls was not excessively dangerous. ﻿The neighborhood was small and although it was constructed with considerable enthusiasm the ﻿houses were not particularly well built. Because of the new buildings here, one can now see only glimpses of this neighborhood's past, although there are original buildings at the back of the central courtyard on HaMa'aravim St. and Zamenohoff St. The courtyard, which is the garden patio for the Centre Mondial Du Judaisme D’Afrique Du Nord building﻿, must be one of the most beautiful in Jerusalem. The mosaics were produced by Moroccan artisans brought in specially for this project. The building belonged to Rabbi David ben Shimon,﻿ but was deserted after the War of Independence when this area became a no-man's land. After the Six Day War, the building was renovated as a cultural center and museum.﻿

To exit the courtyard keep straight ahead and you are now on King David St. Turn right. You will pass antique silver stores and an art gallery.

The next building of interest is the YMCA at 26 King David St. Its grounds and the building itself are rich in symbolism of religious co-existence. As you enter the grounds, you will see a plaque that states “Here is a place whose atmosphere is peace where political and religious jealousies can be forgotten and international unity be fostered and developed.”﻿

The YMCA was built during the middle of the British Mandate, between 1926 to 1933, and was designed to be a Christian institution where all faiths could interact socially without discord. The building was the inspiration of Dr. Archibald C Harte, General Secretary of the International YMCA, and he persuaded the American millionaire James Jarvie to fund the project. The architect was Arthur Louis Harmon, who also designed the former Empire State Building in Manhattan. ﻿

There are multiple symbols of religious coexistence in the grounds. The 12 cypress trees represent Jesus’s disciples, the number of Israelite tribes, and the followers of Mohammed. The forty pillars represent the 40 year's wandering of the Israelites in the desert and the 40 days of Jesus’ temptation. The southern building is a concert hall and the northern building is their gym. Close to the top of both buildings are quotations from the New Testament. On top of the right side of the main YMCA building is a quotation from the Torah with its important declaration of faith: “The Lord our God is one”, and on the left side a quotation from the Quran expressing the same sentiment: “There is no God but Allah”. There is a relief on the tower depicting an angel with six wings conforming to the description from Isaiah. On the left of the entrance is a statue of a woman with a pitcher on her head. This is the Samaritan who met Jesus and regarded him as the Messiah. There is also a statue on the right of a lamb, referring to Jesus the “lamb of God.”﻿

You can enter the YMCA. On the floor as you enter you will see a copy of the mosaic Madaba Map, which depicts Jerusalem in the Byzantine period. A copy of this is also on display in the Cardo in the Old City. The stained glass window over the door contains an olive branch. The colorful ceilings are very impressive.

It is possible to go to the top of the tower using the elevator and from there to look out over the Old City. Before reunification of the city, this was a popular observation spot as the Old City was in Jordanian hands. Nowadays, there is no need to go to the top of a tower as you can view it up close. However, if you do wish to go up the elevator, the reception will direct you to the office, as there is a fee for ascending the observation tower. ﻿

Now retrace your steps for a short distance to the pedestrian crossing, cross King David St., and head to the King David Hotel. This was – and still is – a quality hotel, where such elite as the Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, Henry Kissinger and Heil Selassi have slept. Just look as if you belong, and you will have no problem entering the hotel. The décor of the hotel foyer and adjacent rooms is that of an oriental palace and is quite impressive.

The King David Hotel was built by wealthy Egyptian Jews during the British Mandate in 1929-1931. As the capital of Palestine, Jerusalem needed a high-class hotel. It is now owned by the Israeli Dan chain.Walk in and stroll through the rooms ahead of you. The décor is the original décor of the hotel, although it has been repainted over the years. The ceilings and columns give the ambience of an ancient Eastern place. The Reading Room, on the right as you enter, has black and white photos on the walls showing the hotel’s involvement in Israel’s early history. On a wall close to the outside tea gardens is a large and interesting picture of the King David Hotel and YMCA when both were in Palestine and this area was not yet developed. ﻿

On the southern outside wall of the hotel is a plaque memoralizing the event in which the southern wing of the hotel was blown up by the Irgun underground movement.

The British commandeered the southern wing of the hotel in 1938 for use as its secretariat and military command center. In 1945, the Hagana, Irgun and Stern Group formed an alliance that lasted for 10 months and during this time the Irgun received an order from the Hagana (later denied) to blow up the King David Hotel. Demonstrating the vulnerabilty of the command center of the British would be a major coup. Large amounts of explosives were smuggled into the hotel in milk cans﻿. ﻿One Irgun member was wounded and another killed from heavy gunfire during their withdrawal. They then ran to a phone booth and called the hotel operator and The Palestine Post warning of an impending explosion, with the intent of preventing casulties. However, the hotel was not evacuated and many people died in the explosion. The southern wing was rebuilt in the 1960’s. ﻿

Continue left along King David St. and after passing a large building on your left and the entrance to Mishkenot Sha'ananim, you will be at the Blumfield Garden. Turn left into the garden and then right onto the path that parallels King David St. There are WC's here. From this garden there are impressive views of the western wall of the Old City, Mount Zion and the Montefiore windmill. After a short distance, you will come to the Etzion Flame Memorial, a memorial to the 572 members of this brigade who lost their lives during the War of Independence. There are recorded explanations in Hebrew, English and Arabic providing informative descriptions of the preparations and fighting during the War of Independence. Continue walking through the gardens to its end at the Lions’ Fountain. During the summer months, this is great place for kids to splash and get wet.

The Lion Fountain was a gift from the German Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, to the city of Jerusalem. The lions represent Jerusalem. In Biblical times, the lion was a symbol of the tribe of Judah. In the center of the fountain is the Tree of Life (of the Garden of Eden), and on top of the tree a dove, the bird of peace.﻿

Head towards the front of the First Station by exiting the gardens, crossing Pierre Mentes France Square and turning left along David Remez St. The First Station is a short distance along this street. ﻿

When the railway line between Jaffa to Jerusalem opened in 1892 it was a major step in the development of Jerusalem, and the opening ceremony was attended by many Turkish dignitaries. Prior to this, the journey to Jerusalem took a day and a half by mule. The contract for constructing the train service was given to a French company and they cut a few corners. They followed the winding Emek Refaim Valley since this obviated the need for bridges and tunnels. They also purchased the rails from a company that had gone bankrupt, and these happened to be the smallest gauge rails in the world. All this led to a very winding and slow ride. Still, it was better than a mule! The outside of the building has the original Ottoman façade; plus an additional floor was added during the Ottoman period. Design changes were also made to the outside of the building during the British Mandate﻿.﻿﻿

The railway no longer stops here, and the station has been converted to an entertainment center with a handicraft market, stores and restaurants. The place is always busy. Look at the program for the free concerts. Many of them are of excellent quality. There is also a Kids Area at the northern end of the station with various children’s activities. On Friday afternoon there is a family Shabbat program. Their phone number is 02 653-5239.﻿﻿﻿

St Andrew’s Scottish Memorial Church is another place you might want to visit. Its entrance is from Pierre Mentes France Square,﻿﻿

This church was built in 1927-1930 by the Scottish branch of the Anglican Church to commemorate Scottish soldiers who fell in the battles for Palestine during World War 1. The architecture of the church is a mix of British and Middle Eastern features. The yellowish stone used in its construction and the growth of lichen, give the church an old English church look. However, its box-like appearance is not at all typical of an English church. Nor is its white dome. There is a memorial plaque by the steps commemorating the laying of the corner stone by General Allenby. A major part of the building now functions as a hostel for pilgrims. Permission to enter the church can be obtained from the Guest House.﻿﻿﻿ ﻿

You can also visit the Ketef Hinnom burial caves from late First Temple times. The entrance is just after the entrance to St. Andrew's Church.

Many people do not get that excited about burial caves, but these happen to more interesting than most because their roof caved in, which means that one can view the caves without having to crawl into them. These were burial chambers for very upper class families. Typically, in First Temple times and prior to this, at least in upper class families, the corpse was left to decay on a shelf ﻿and after it had decomposed the bones were gathered for secondary burial and placed together with the person's ancestors. In the Bible, this is mentioned as "he was gathered to his people." (Genesis 25:8) You can actually see the shelves here, and the entrance to a lower cave where the bones would have been gathered. People were often buried together with their treasured possessions. These were often stolen by grave robbers, but in this instance, since the cave collapsed, these treasures were not removed. Over 1,000 items, including pottery, gold and silver jewelery, bone and ivory were found here. The most interesting discovery, found by a young boy climbing into the caves, was the priestly blessing from Numbers chapter 6 on two rolled silver leaves that had been used as an amulet. They were written in ancient Hebrew and had only minor changes from the Biblical text. This is the oldest copy of text from the Bible ever found, probably dating to about the 6th century BCE, and predates the Dead Sea scrolls by many years. They are now on display in the Israel Museum.

There are many buses that leave from outside the First Station and that will take you back to the center of town.

[1]. “I am Jerusalem”: Enter a time capsule and take a 25-minute journey into the past, present and future of Jerusalem. You truly get the feeling that it is you rather than the screens on all sides that are moving.In addition, the seats roll a bit to remind you that you are in a physical time capsule.Many will get blown away by the technology and drama.Others may wonder what the message is.Tickets at the box office are 45 NIS for adults and 35 NIS for children, but 5 NIS less through their website. It is open Sunday to Thursday 10.00 AM-10.00 PM (with the last show at 9.30 PM), Friday 10.00 AM-2.00 PM, and it is also open Saturday night. Their phone number is 02 583 5580 and e-mail address Yale-lam@iamjerusalem.com.

Nearby places of interest:

The Begin Museumat 6 S.U. Nahon St:This museum is well worth visiting. Menachem Begin emanates Jewish pride, and the story of his life and political activities is quite inspiring. This is an experiential multi-media exhibit that takes you on a time journey. It is open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9.00 AM-4.30 PM, Tuesday 9.00 AM-9.00 PM, and Friday and holidays 9.00 AM-12.30 PM. Entry is with a tour and this needs to be booked. You can fill in this form online or call 02 565 2011. The museum commentary can be heard in Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, French or Spanish.

Mamilla Mall was a shopping area during the British Mandate. It was destroyed during the War of Independence, but since reunification of the city has again become a popular shopping and restaurant area.

The King David Hotel has been a participant in much of Israel's history. Some of this can be seen from photographs on the walls of the public rooms on the ground floor.

The Lion Fountain was a gift from the German government. The lions represent Jerusalem. The fountain also functions as a bathing pool for kids during the summer!

Before the Six Day War, the observatory on the tower of the YMCA building was popular for viewing the Old City, which then belonged to Jordan and could not be visited from Israel.